Vineyard plow



Feb. 9, 1954 w. L. SHIMMON VINEYARD PLOW 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March. 14, 1951 ATTORNEYS Feb. 9, 1954 Filed March 14, 1951 w. 1 SHIMMON 2,668,488

VINEYARD PLOW 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 g Fig.2

INVEN'I'OR ZUiZZZIamL. .S'bzbamon ATTORNEYS innithevineiirunks;

Patented Feb. 9, 1954 1 'VINEYARD PBBW WilliamLLShlmmomMbdestmDalif.

' AhbliatibnMtifclfM, 1951*,Sia'fiztl'No. 2155453 1=laim.= (Cl. :9-7--46.89:)

egenti",invellticln -faimatlorlobjecttoxprovide a: ineyardipl'owitof novel iconstruction' andiunction;the plow bein'g'adapted itoi-ibeimounted on 'a' betweenerow icultivating'vimenlement such asiaidisc narrow;- andras so mounted mmoti'oning'to cultivate theisoilTinx a longitudinal 'pathewhichiextendseinir direct va l'inem'e'nt' between the row aofviinesdtomnel sideriofisai'd rimplement.

Another important object of the invention :is

to rprovid'esia' vineyard "plow-winch?v i'sopeirative to automatically ship at- 19E011 vine; the fp'l'ow la'eing so rco'ntrolled' b'ymeans"which' includes:-aetrigiger arm which engages each vine-"trunk as' the =-implement:advances;

A further object" of the present invention is rxmou-nted at a laterall-y outwa'rd and 'downward slope and havingva plow blade onzthes-nuter-rend ofneachzispider arm ,1 with one.:oi-:saiifplowhlad'es normally disposed soil engagement ia nd i runmug? in: the longitudinale-zpath between adjacent "vines; there "being: trigger controlled latch-means to automaticallyrrelease:therotor: for a parti-tturn -rasiz eachivinerisspassed; whereby thecrrotore-as it part-turns strad dies theztmmk -L0fsaid whim-said one plow blade risingoutof :"theasoilrimmediately to --the "rear *of -the-"tru'rik 'and-"rmovingeito afzcil'earance position-gendf the: next plow b'lafie entering 'the-isoi'limme'diately asheaii of isaidrtrunk. 4 -:manner'the-;plow= blades suocessively worleialong said longitudinal paths, withtheuplow blades wchangingyposi-tionfas each vineifispassediiand the trunk straddled by; 'aparteturmof :the: :rotor;

I An additional i-oh'iectv of the inventicn xisztozprm 'vide a. vineyard plow;:as abovc;.w-hich -'is:: s'imple ebutrugged structure: 'selfe'cleaningswhen in operation;tactssmoothly-butpositiwely to changev positionthe plowablades withoutzovereloadion the ancl ztear implement; and does notvimposenwear '7 It :is :also an xibiect :o'f:thezvinventiomto'iprovide r a: vineyard plow which is designed: for sease -and purpose Ifor "which it :is designed.

These" objects :are accomplished: byfin'eansi of such structure sand:rela tive arrangementtot pal'ts aswilllfu1ly;aippeai'hby a perusal. of the following sspecificationrandclaim;

."Iii'rthedi 'awings .LiFigx 1 is asrearielevationioi'ithe vin yard narrownthezrearwardly h rejecting spideriarmbeingibroken ofii Z-Iis :a'itop" plan view of the tplow "ass in use, wlthithe itriggertarm :shown" at the moment i-of sits 5 ."sengaigement with aivin'e trunk.

v is anienlarged' fragmentary plan view of the plow rotor andrthe releasable *latchwrnecha- 'i lli'sm associated: therewith; ath'e trigger: armrhere lieing shown in the:=san1e Telativeaposition as: in '10 "Eig:':2.-

Fig: flis a ii'agmentary 'sectionionrline=-4-=-4 of =EigL3.

Referring now more particularly to the-char- .sacters wofarref'erence -:"on the drawings; the wineyard l5 pl'owais adaptedzto :be :mounted in connection with a between-row cultivating implement isuch'ias a 1 disch'arrow 'l thezlatten :inc-ludi-ng a rigid-imam frameii.

Amextensiomframei-fi is *secured"vtortheeback ZOwOfT'il'IBL' main s-fiia-me' 2 l and projects #:rear-wardly therefrom; such extension f rame; "at-the efrom, '-=being=ipivcted,sas"at '4'; and -ve1 tica1ly adjustably "attached; as atiE, attransversely; spaced points, to thezmain frame 2- 25 The purpose of such adjustment is to alter the inclination of :al-canted,unultipleleg, pedestal 6; suclr -pedestal -normally extending at a laterally upward and outWardi-noline;

v ntitsiupperiend theicanted multiple leg pedestal c 1i is sfixed in: connection with a two-part body I which is circular in plan "andtissecured to the pedestal legsabyzbolts'8.

.- The'i two-part body 1 i -formed, in its upper half? with .;an tainnularechannel 7 9 in which "a. .ro- 355 WIYJhUib'Z'J-DEJS iturnably retained; such :hub being formed .iwith attachments-forks I 'l wh-icheradiate therefrom :QOBapart.

v :ElP-he rotaryi-hub I9 is includedkinas plow rotor, aindicat'ed 'generaIIy atulhwhich rotor includes so watcher-spider; armsrlB; each afiixed at itszfinner endv in- .a .corresponding one of the attachment ,forksnll;vwherebysaid armsradiate from the "hub .inicorrespondin'grelation; to-wit, '90? apart:

At their outer ends each ofithe rotor or spid'er 4:, arms t I 3 down turned to provide a standardl-d, a'ndeach standard carries a plow blade P5 such blades being disposet'lin a: working position when the corresponding arm is lowermost.

'Byreasonnfits mounting, as-"ab'ov'e described, 50 the plowrotor 2 2 is disposed ata latch-ally outward anii' downward slope at all-atimes; turning-about an xis' concentric with 131'l'Eifi 'Of the 'two=part cirelm new lii'efplbwi "'lw th one o'f the new blades 15 fin -ground "enis swung rearwardly.

gagement, by means of latch mechanism, indicated generally at 16, which will hereinafter be described in detail.

With advance of the implement l between the rows of a vineyard, the plow blade 15 which is in lowermost or soil engaging, working position, runs in a longitudinal path in the soil which extends in direct alinement between adjacent vines.

A radial mounting plate I! projects forwardly from the body I, and a triggerarm i8 extends laterally outwardly from said plate 11 adjacent the forward end of the latter; such trigger arm l8 bein pivoted adjacent but short of its inner end, as at 59, for rearward swinging motion against the tension of a spring 20.

The trigger arm [3 thus leads, by a short distance, the plow blade !5 which is in lowermost soil engaging, Working position, and as said blade approaches the trunk 2i of the next ahead vine, such trigger arm bears against said trunk and As the trigger arm 18 swings rearwardly it trips the latch mechanism l6, whereupon the plow rotor l2 turns a quarterturn under the influence of ground drag as the implement l advances. of the plow rotor 12, the plow blade l5 which has been in lowermost soil engaging, working position rises out of the soil to the rear of the trunk 2| and moves to a clearance position, and at the same time the next following plow blade lowers l and enters the ground directly ahead of said trunk. Thus, in effect, the plow motor 12 has made a quarter-turn in straddling relation to the trunk 24, withdrawing one plow blade from the rear thereof and replacing the next plow blade ahead thereof.

The result is that there is a substantially full length plowing f the soil in the longitudinal paths directly between adjacent vines, yet without the plow blades disturbing the roots or striking the trunks of said vines.

said slot; the latter opening at one end through f' the annular channel 9. I

A swing latch 24 is pivoted at its upper end, as at 25, between the upstanding cars 23, and such latch is spring-urged in the radial slot 22 toward its open end by a compression spring 28. The lower end portion of the swing latch 24 normally works out of the radial slot 22 into one of four equidistantly spaced notches 2'! formed fin the inner wall of the rotary hub l0; said notches 2"! being shouldered in a direction suchthat the swing latch 24 normally prevents rotation of the plow rotor l2 under the influence of ground drag from the plow blade l which is in lowermost, soil engaging working position.

The numeral 28 indicates generally a latch release unit, which unit comprises a pull rod 29 connected to the swing latch 24 intermediate its ends and extending forwardly to connection with the rear end of a longitudinally slidable, laterally swingable finger 38 which is disposed lengthwise atop the radial mounting plate ll, being secured thereto by a headed pin 3! which projects through a longitudinal slot 32. A tension spring .33 urges the finger 30 laterally outwardly .mto

With such quarter-turn the pull rod 29Iretracts the swing latch 24 from the notch 2'! in which the latter in engaged.

With continued rearward swinging of the trigger arm [8 its inner end escapes the hook 34 and the finger 30 slides rearwardly so that the swing latch 24, which is spring-urged, automatically seats in the next following notch 2'1, whereby only a quarter-turn of the plow rotor 12 is permitted and the latch mechanism 16 again becomes effective. After the trigger arm l8 escapes the trunk 2| with continued advance of the implement I, such trigger arm is swung forwardly to its normal'position by the spring 26, and the inner end of said trigger arm reengages with the hook 34 by reason of cooperating cam surfaces on the parts, as shown. The latch mechanism I6 and the latch release unit 28 are then ready to again function, in the contemplated manner, upon the next trunk 2! being engaged by the trigger arm [8. r

In order to adjust the spacing between the trigger arm l8 and the plow blade [5 which is in lowermost soil engaging, working position, and which spacing controls the timing of release of the latch mechanism I6, the trigger arm 18 is articulated adjacent but outwardly of the pivot l9, and there includes an adjustable connection 35.

Adjustment of the angle of inclination of the plow rotor l2, and consequently of the angle at which the plow blades l5 work in the soil, is accomplished by means of the pivot 4 and the vertically adjustable pivot 5. By adjusting the angle or cant of the rearwardly projecting extension frame 3, a corresponding resetting of the plow rotor l2 with respect to its cant is attained.

The herein described invention provides a very practical and reliable vineyard plow, and one which works automatically upon advance of the implement I; each of the vine trunks 2! being cleared without injury by the plow blades, yet the latter working effectively to plow the soil in a longitudinal path in direct alinement betwee adjacent 'vine trunks.

While the trigger arm It does engage the trunk, the resistance to rearward motion of said 7 arm is not great, so that there is no scarring or other damage to the trunk.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

I claim: I

A plow comprising a support movable along the ground, a circular body on the support canted laterally, a plow rotor comprising a hub turnable on the body, arms extending radially from cluding a releasable spring-advanced latch member pivoted on the body for fore and aft movement, a pull unit projecting forwardly from the latch member and connected thereto relative to its pivot so that forward movement of the unit releases the latch member, a trigger arm engageable with a trunk projecting laterally from and operatively connected to the forward end of the pull unit, and a plate rigid with and projecting forward from the body on which the trigger 10 is pivoted intermediate its ends; the pull unit including a finger at its forward end slidably and swivelly mounted on the plate and having a laterally and rearwardly facing notch, and the trigger arm being arranged at its end adjacent 15 the unit to releasably engage the forward end of the notch.

WILLIAM L. SHJMMON.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 103,983 France July 11, 1874 370,928 France Jan. 7, 1907 25,893 France Feb. 27, 1923 (Addition to No. 540,107)

565,703 France Nov. 10, 1923 865,371 France Feb. 24, 1941 956,030 France July 4, 1949 

